Telephone secretary



Oct. l, 1940. G. w. HUNTER TELEPHGNE SECRETARY Filed sept'. 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Shen 1 Garni/ss W Hunter wmf/mx! @LM-0b @M M www@ GMM/W4 4 Oct l, 1940. G. w. HUNTER TELEPHONE SECRETARY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1938 l? (l5 a) Patented Oct. 1, 1940 i UNITED STATES MTENTN OFFICE 2 Claims.

- My invention, which relates `more particularly to telephone-secretaries of the types disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,969,305 and No. 1,969,306, issued August 7,1934, No. 1,996,767, issued April 5 9, 1995, No1,997,585, issued April 16, 1935, No. 2,000,957, issued May ,14, 1935, and No. 2,015,679, issued October 1, 1935 has for an object to provide certain newand useful improvements designed to render the operations of the parts more automatic and to facilitate the use of the secretary..

Itis an object of the invention to provide the secretary with `a plurality of telephone directorycarriers (especially useful in large cities where severaldirectories are used) so `arranged and constructed that when not in use they remain within theconnes of the secretary and do not project over the open (horizontal) door, but which may easily be brought forward and held in a position so as to be easily readable and may be properly illuminated by the light (see Pat. No. 1,969,306 and No. 1,996,767 supra) of the secretary. I

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

, To the attainment of the above objects and ends the invention still further resides in those novel `features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be rst AUI fully described in the detailed description and` then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

3 Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the secretary (parts of the supports being broken away), with the door open.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

40 Fig. 3 is a further enlarged detail section of one of the directory receiving sections of the secretary.

Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

45 Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section later again referred to.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 `is an enlarged detail section showing the hinge connection between the door and the 50 memo-pad carrier.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals and letters of reference,` indicate like parts in all the gures, I represents the base of the secretary, 2 the outer side-walls,

55 4 the back wall, 'I the intermediate or side Walls,

(Cl. S12-183) of the directory section, 22 the top wall, and 25 the door which is hinged at 26 to the base I.

The directory section of the secretary is divided by suitable partitions to provide receptacles for the directories and the slides on which they are mounted. The directory section may be provided with a sufficient number of horizontal partitions dividing it into horizontal recesses or receptacles, one above the other, to contain the desired number of directories (one to each rel0 ceptacle) or it may be provided with rearwardlydownwardly inclined partitions to form inclined receptacles one above the other, or it may be provided with a set of pivoted and stepped directorycarriers which swing on horizontal axes from an 15 inclined downwardly-forward position in use to an upwardly-rearwardly inclined position when not in use; or a combination of all such means may be embodied in the same structure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the illustrated embodiment the top receptacle of the directory section is formed by the horizontal partitions 3 and I6 between which the directory-carrying slide or tray Il is located.

In order to hold the directory in position for use, in which position it will be adequately illuminated by the light Ill,` the partition 3 has a notch I9 and the slide Il has a notch I8 so formed that when the rear end of the slide I1 is placed in notch I9, the frontend of the partition I6 30 will lie in notch I8 andthe directory I5 and slide I'I will stay in the inclined position (shown in Fig. 5 in full lines and in dotted lines in Fig.

2) by its own weight.

Below the partition I6 is a series of downward- 35 ly, rearwardly inclined transverse partitions 5, defining between them receptacles for directories.

In order that the user need not pull out the directories at the steep angle of the partitions 5, means are provided whereby as the user pulls out 40 a directory its angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal is reduced. This is accomplished by providing in each receptacle a supplemental partition G which is hinged or pivoted at its rear end at I3 and has its sides located 45 in recesses 8 in the intermediate side-walls I (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4), the recesses 8 being so formed that the front edge of the partition 6 can be lowered to the partition 5 beneath, thus making the plane oi the partition or shelf 6 approach 50 the horizontal. The partitions 6 may have side flanges 9 slotted as at IIJ, to receive the guide pins Il of the directory-carrying slides I2, the structure being such that when a slide I2 has been pulled out it may be swung down (see dotted lines Fig. 2 and full lines Fig. 3) to a forwardly 'inclined position to be properly illuminated by the light 2l and be held in readable position by resting on the projecting edge of the partition 5 beneath, or on some other suitable part below. Springs I4 of sufficient power to hold the partition or shelf S up are provided asshown.

The fronts of the slides I2 may have aprons 46 to constitute closures for the fronts of the receptacles between the partition 6 and the partition 5 next below (see Fig. 2).

The directories I5 are secured to their respective slides in any approved manner. As the specic means for securing the directories to the slides is no part of the present invention, the same has not been illustrated in the drawings.

The illuminating means (light 2l and reflector 25) may be 0f the construction shown in Patent No. 1,996,767 supra, and per se is not of the present invention. The usual top front cleat 23 is provided to aid in supporting the refiector 2li.

The directory carriers 24 are pivoted at 3i) to the walls l, and are arranged in stepped formation so that when they are swung down to their positions of use (see dotted lines, Fig. 2) they will each lie in proper position for illumination by light 2 I.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the Walls 'I are spaced from the walls 2 to dene two end compartments one of which provides a receptacle for the telephone T and the other a receptacle for the memo pad, etc. In the telephone receptacle is located an inclined cleat 3| fixed to the base I, on which rests the rear edge of a telephone stand 29 (see Fig. 2). This stand 29 is hinged at 28 to a fixed cleat 21 on the door 25, the structure of cleats 2T, 3| being such that the stand 29 remains substantially horizontal in all positions, i. e., with the door open, with the door closed, or with the door in transit, thus making it unnecessary to fasten the telephone to its stand and leaving the instrument free to be removed from the stand if and when desired.

The memo-pad, etc., are secured to a base 32 which is hinged at 33 to the door 25 (see Figs. 6 and 7) and is provided with a rocker-cleat 34 which, when the door is open, holds the base 32 at the proper angle to present the pad M to the user in a position most convenient for use. The base 32 may be provided with front and rear stop cleats 35 to hold the pad M in place when the pad is not otherwise secured to the base 32.

The space between walls 'I and 2 at the memopacl side may be further partitioned, as at 36, 3l,

` to provide pigeon-holes and at 38 to provide a memo-pad M will be back in their respective compartments and the several directories will be out of sight. When the door is swung open the telephone and the pad will be automatically moved out to usable positions. By pulling out the desired directory slide or slides, the directories are brought into position for illumination and use.

In this application I lay no claim to the telephone stand and to the memorandum directory carrier as they will constitute the subject matter of divisional applications.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will of course be understood that changes in the details of construction, design and proportion of parts may readily be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A cabinet having a base, side walls, a back wall, a top wall, and a drop door hinged to the base to serve as a closure for the cabinet or as a forward extension to the base accordingly as said door is in one position or another, vertically spaced downwardly and rearwardly inclined transverse Xed partitions in said cabinet denf ing a directory receptacle, an intermediate para tition hinged at the rear on a horizontal axis within said receptacle, a directory-carrying slide cooperatively slidably mounted on said intermediate partition, means connecting said slide to said intermediate partition slidably and pivotally in order that when said slide is pulled out it may be swung to a forwardly-downwardly inclined position, and yieldable means continuously acting to hold said intermediate partition elevated when the slide is in but yieldable to permit lowering said intermediate partition in pulling out the slide.

2. A cabinet having a base, side walls, a back wall, a top wall, and a drop door hinged to the base to serve as a closure for the cabinet or as a forward extension to the base accordingly as said door is in one position or another, vertically spaced downwardly and rearwardly inclined transverse fixed partitions in said cabinet delining a directory receptacle, an intermediate partition hinged at the rear on a horizontal axis within said receptacle, a directory-carrying slide cooperatively slidably mounted on said intermediate partition, means for connecting said slide to said intermediate partition slidably and pivotally in order that when said slide is pulled out it may be swung to a forwardly-downwardly inclined position, and yieldable means continuously acting to hold said intermediate partition elevated when the slide is in but yieldable to permit lowering said intermediate partition in pulling out the slide, said slide having a front closure wall for the front of said directory receptacle when the slide is in.

GARNISS W. HUNTER.

Jo I 

